The configuration and design of the toothbrush has taken many forms since its conception. With the constant change and evolution of these said devices most toothbrush holders, prevalent in many homes, may not be able to accommodate the wide variety of new and changing designs.
With the newer designs of toothbrushes, offering a wide array of features, such as flexing handles, oversized bristles and heads, over molded handles with softer materials for comfort (some molded in recognizable shapes for children) are revolutionary ideas, subsequently most prior art toothbrush holders may not be able to accommodate them.
Traditional toothbrush holders, typically wall mounted, may be challenging for some to mount and are comprised of various ridged materials with a plurality of apertures for holding toothbrushes. These apertures typically sized to hold the traditional style toothbrush typically being of straight shaft and designed so that the handle is placed through the aperture and the bristles of the toothbrush would contact the surface of the holder as a stop feature. This contact with said bristles to holder promotes a possibility for contaminants or bacteria to contact the bristles of the toothbrush by way of the holder.
Other types of toothbrush holders are designed to set on a counter or shelf and are comprised of various ridged materials with a plurality of apertures facing upward from the base of the holder. These prior art designs require counter or shelf space to be functional and in many cases this space is not available. Also to locate a toothbrush, the handle portion may need to pass through an aperture to be located in the holder. This can be a problem for newer styles of toothbrushes where as the handle may be larger than the aperture. In addition, to retrieve the toothbrush from the holder the hand may make contact with the portion of the toothbrush that will most likely make contact with the mouth. This could promote an unsanitary condition if the hands are not washed prior to use.
Most prior art styles of toothbrush holders propose several challenges to holding the newer styles of toothbrush. With these challenges alternative practices are being comprised for holding toothbrushes, some in the form of a drinking cup as a toothbrush bolder to hold toothbrushes that no longer fit in prior art holders. This could promote an unsanitary condition due to the build up of paste, saliva, germs and also from multiple brushes coming in contact. Also if the cup was to get knocked over, and if made of breakable material, shards could get lodged into the bristles in addition to the contamination of the toothbrushes contacting an unsanitary surface.
Many prior art toothbrush holders have used C-shaped, T-shaped, U-shaped, L-shaped, circular, square, rectangular or elliptical shaped apertures in their configurations. However many such designs may not hold the newer style toothbrush in a secure and/or sanitary manner. In addition, some of the prior art designs are configured so that the toothbrush has to be loaded into the holder by placing it through an aperture and dropping it in and/or locating it in a said letter shaped slots. For some the locating and placement of a toothbrush in some prior art apertures requires using both hands and can be challenging, especially in children where as there dexterity has not fully developed.
In a number of prior art toothbrush holders the design and/or material used have left these holders hard to keep sanitary. Sharp corner areas and underneath surfaces are hard to clean and some container style holders (sometimes made of porous materials) would need to be soaked to be sanitized. Some prior art has addressed this by making disposable type holders. This proposes two concerns; cost of replacing the holder and contributing to disposable waste.
Some prior art toothbrush holders have addressed the sanitary issues such as Hemple U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,019 (1994). The holder arrests the toothbrush at the upper extremity of the handle and far enough below the bristles holding it in a secure and sanitary fashion. However, with the ever changing designs and styles of toothbrushes, such prior art holders may not be able to hold the newer styles of toothbrush.
Other prior art holders address accommodating a wide variety of newer style toothbrushes such as Menard U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,259 (1995). With this wall mount holder the toothbrush is directed into an above mentioned L-shaped slot and then further located into the final position area of the slot. This design holds a wide variety of toothbrushes securely. However, the ease of mounting and use of this holder may be challenging for some and with the L-shaped slots and underlying surface beneath the planer surface to the bristle area, this style of holder may be challenging to keep sanitary.
In addition, many prior art toothbrush holders need ample room for the holder to be used effectively in retrieving and replacing the toothbrush, as well as the space needed for the location of the holder. This could be a problem for the use of some prior art holders in areas where space is confined: such as motorhomes, marine vehicles and many residential homes.
With all the prior art designs and styles of toothbrush holders, the need for a holder that will accommodate the wide variety of ever changing and evolving designs of the toothbrush and hold them in a secure and sanitary manner that is easy to use and keep clean, still exists.